Toxic Tour Stop One: The Detroit Incinerator

An environmental group recently hosted a tour of what it says are the most polluted areas of the city, while also showcasing some green construction initiatives. MLive Detroit tagged along with some local and state representatives for the bus ride, hosted by Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice.

Not only that, Paul argued, but closing the incinerator down would actually create more jobs, he argued. “If we were just to close this incinerator and switch over to recycling, that would create four times as many jobs as this incinerator employs,” he said.

The energy-from-waste (EFW) facility that is run by Detroit Renewable Power has been a thorn in environmentalists’ side since it was built in 1991. According to Detroit Renewable Power, the state-of-the-art EFW processes up to 3,300 tons of waste per day, generating 68 megawatts of electricity. Detroit Renewable Power, which is a subsidiary of Detroit Renewable Energy LLC, sells the electricity to DTE Energy.

Detroit Renewable Power says its EFW facility reduces that trash burden on landfills as it incinerates garbage at temperatures exceeding 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. A representative for Detroit Renewable Power did not respond to calls seeking comment.

In its report for the second quarter of 2012, calls the EFW an "economic and environmental win." The report states that every one ton of municipal waste burned equals 500 pounds of recyclable metal, one barrel of oil avoided, 1/4 ton of domestic coal displaced and one ton of greenhouse gas emissions removed.

Environmentalists argue that the EFW's very existence in the city discourages recycling, as it it requires a certain quota of trash in order to continue operating, and actually pulls in garbage from surrounding areas to meet this quota.

Margeret Weber, of Zero Waste Detroit, could not immediately be reached for comment.

"So DWEJ has been going door to door to get people to call in
to (Michigan Department of Environmental Quality) to report the smell," Paul said. "It’s a real simple process, it takes a couple minutes, and
the reason we’ve been doing that is the incinerator has been going after public
money and we want to block that. We don’t want any public money going to this
incinerator."